Wildlife

Inland taipan

Australia's inland taipan is considered to be the most venomous snake in the world. The venom from one bite is enough to kill 100 fully grown men. It is, however, very rare for humans to be bitten and in the few cases that have occurred, anti-venom treatment has been successful. Small rodents, mammals and birds are not so lucky. The inland taipan has a rapid accurate strike, delivering the extremely toxic venom deep into its prey. The taipan just has to wait for its victim to die before returning to consume the meal. This snake exhibits dramatic seasonal changes in skin colour. It is light in summer and dark in winter and this helps regulate its body temperature.

Steve Leonard's Ultimate Killers

Distribution

The Inland taipan can be found in a number of locations including:
Australia. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Inland taipan distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Desert
Desert and dry scrubland describes any area that receives less than 250mm of rainfall a year. Not just the endless, baking sand dunes of popular conception, it includes arid areas in temperate regions.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours
are and how different plants and animals use them.

Video collections

Animal kingdom record breakers - how fast can a cheetah run, how heavy is an elephant and what's bigger than a dinosaur? Watch amazing video clips from the BBC archive and uncover the fascinating facts about our smallest primate, the longest stick insect and the most venomous snake.